


Because I Happened To Meet You

by Danger_Floof_Floof



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Childhood Friends, First Meetings, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-05
Updated: 2019-12-05
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:40:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21681100
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Danger_Floof_Floof/pseuds/Danger_Floof_Floof
Summary: Kid Dimitri follows his father on a political trip. He expects to be bored, instead he makes a new friend.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 8
Kudos: 179





	Because I Happened To Meet You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cerikino](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cerikino/gifts).



> This is written for @cerikino  
>  I hope you like it! the idea wouldn't leave me alone after I saw your tweet.

They were here on official business. Nothing more than to speak with the leader of the Leicester Alliance. Dimitri didn’t know what they would speak of since his father had said he was far too young to understand politics. He had assured Dimitri that there would come a time when he would understand, but for now, Dimitri remained in the large hall of the Leicester Alliance residence.

He kicked his feet back and forth, staring at the interior of the place and thinking of how different it was from the one back home.

Some time passed and Dimitri grew bored. He leaned his head against his palm and watched the door his father had gone through but the sound of another door caught his attention.

A boy about his age rushed into the hall, he was breathing hard as if someone was chasing him.

The boy froze when he saw Dimitri and then quickly slipped outside before Dimitri could wave at him.

That boy was the first person Dimitri had seen who looked his age and Dimitri, with the newfound intention of going to make a new friend, followed him.

The streets were crowded and Dimitri had trouble avoiding getting walked into but he managed to slip between the people’s legs and push his way in the direction the boy had gone in.

He looked around, searching for the boy who he had seen but could find no sight of him, not with all these people walking around.

Disappointed at not finding the boy, Dimitri turned around to return but froze in place when two older kids rushed past him, nearly knocking him over.

“Watch it!” one of them snapped.

“He went this way! Come on!” the other said and the two turned a corner.

Dimitri paused, debating on whether or not it was worth it to go see who it was they were following. It might have been the boy’s older brothers coming to take him back. It would explain why they were rushing after him and why the boy had been running in the first place. Dimitri’s mood brightened and he rushed after the two boys.

When Dimitri rushed into the place the older kids had turned into he found it was a dead end to a short wall and there were no signs of the older kids. For a moment, Dimitri thought he went the wrong way until he heard voices coming from behind the wall. He looked around, spotting a small box that looked like it had been stepped on, and climbed on top, peeking over.

The first person he saw was the boy from before. He was standing in front of a wall while the older kids approached him. Dimitri felt the anticipation that came with meeting a new friend and got ready to climb over the wall. He stopped when the other kids started speaking, it would be rude to interrupt so he waited for them to finish.

“Found you!” the taller one declared triumphantly. The other shorter kid rubbed his hands and Dimitri could see some type of mud on his hands. They must have been playing outside, Dimitri thought.

“You thought you could run faster than us?” The one with mud on his hands said. Dimitri thought he sounded a bit… taunting. Maybe that was how they played? But one look at the boy (who Dimitri saw had a scarf in his hair) and he instantly knew that something was wrong.

The boy looked frightened but he still managed to stand his ground, his fists clenched by his sides. Dimitri could see that his knees were bloody and he had scratches on his arms.

“We told you,” sneered the taller. “outsiders don’t belong here.”

The boy flinched at the words and backed into the wall when the two older kids took a few steps forward.

Dimitri couldn’t watch the scene any longer. He looked around for something to throw since he knew someone his age couldn’t take on two older kids. He spotted a garbage can and hopped off the box, wincing when the horrid smell invaded his nostrils. He opened the lid and spotted a can inside. Perfect. Rushing back, he climbed up the box and saw that the one with the mud on his hands had the boy pinned against the wall while the taller one ripped out the boy’s headscarf. 

Dimitri took aim and threw it as hard as he could. The can hit the taller in the head and he dropped the scarf in favor of rubbing his head. 

The older kid with mud on his hands looked around for the person who threw the can and it gave the boy a chance to kick him in his private area, grab his scarf, and slip past them.

The taller one tried to reach for the boy but the boy slipped away and quickly looked for a way out.

“Over here!” Dimitri called and the boy paused with brief hesitation but rushed to Dimitri when he saw his outstretched hands.

The boy leaped up the wall and grabbed ahold of Dimitri’s hands. Dimitri grunted as he pulled the boy over the wall. Once he was over the wall, Dimitri began to speak:

“Are you—” but the boy shook his head and, without letting go of Dimitri’s hand, rushed them both away from the alley.

Dimitri followed the boy and peeked behind to see the two older kids starting to climb over the wall. His heart began to race from the chase he had somehow found himself in and he quickened his pace, the boy keeping up with his pace.

“This way!” the boy said and dragged Dimitri towards the market. They slipped around people, turned corners, dashed down streets, until they finally came to a stable. The boy dragged Dimitri in and pushed him against the wall, peeking through a small hole in the wall.

Dimitri quieted his breathing and watched anxiously as the boy stayed still as a statue, watching for any signs of the older kids. After some time, the boy let out a sigh of relief and sat against the wall, pulling Dimitri with him.

Dimitri blushed when he realized they were still holding hands but he didn’t dare pull away. He didn’t want to scare off his new friend.

“What were you saying?” the boy suddenly asked, his voice surprisingly steady.

The rush of the chase made Dimitri a little breathless and he struggled to make his voice steady as well.

“What?” it came out as a squeak and Dimitri’s blush deepened.

Thankfully, the boy didn’t comment on it.

“Before I pulled you away?”

Oh. Right. Dimitri had wanted to ask if he was alright.

“I was going to ask if you were alright.”

The boy stared, blinked twice, and then lets go of Dimitri’s hand. He begins to put the scarf back in his hair. Dimitri waited patiently for his answer.

“I’m fine. It’s nothing I haven’t dealt with before,” the boy says and adjusts the small braid that nearly reaches his chin.

Dimitri frowns because that means this has happened before. He wonders how many times the boy had been unsuccessful in trying to escape. His heart squeezes.

“Why were they after you in the first place? Did you throw mud at them?” Dimitri asked, remembering the mud that had been on one of the older kid’s hands.

The boy shakes his head and bends his knee to look at the blood that has now dried. “It wasn’t mud. It was horse poop.”

“You threw horse poop at them?”

The boy crinkles his nose in disgust. “What? No! They were trying to pick a fight with me so I moved away before they could grab me and they fell in.”

And Dimitri laughs because the mental image is just too funny. He notices the boy begin to chuckle as well and soon the both of them are laughing until their sides hurt.

After they calm down, the boy smiles sadly and starts to get up. “I should go now,” he says. “You probably have places to be.”

“No I don’t!” Dimitri exclaims a bit too loudly. He blushes again and looks down at the hem of his shirt. “I mean, I have nowhere to be right now. My dad is talking to someone and I think he’ll be there for awhile so I have nowhere to be.” Dimitri pauses and suddenly wonders if he is keeping this boy away from his own doings. He looks up, suddenly anxious. “Unless you have somewhere to be?”

The boy blinks. He looked surprised at Dimitri’s answer and then he smiles again but it is still sad.

“I don’t, but I don’t think you would want to hang around an outsider like me.”

Dimitri is on his feet in an instant, fists balled at his sides. “You’re not an outsider!”

Once again, the boy is shocked. He is no longer smiling.

“That’s not what everyone else thinks.”

The boy looks skittish, like he was going to run away at any second. And Dimitri, against his better judgement, grabs the boy’s arm to keep him from trying to run from him.

“It doesn’t matter what they say! What matters is what  _ you  _ believe.” Dimitri is proud of himself for repeating the words of his mother but the boy doesn’t look convinced yet. “Besides,” Dimitri continues. “I don’t care if they think you’re an outsider. You seem nice.”

The boy stares and Dimitri notices that he has green eyes. They’re pretty.

“What do you want?” he asks and looks down at Dimitri’s hand that is still gripping his arm.

Dimitri slowly lets go of the boy’s wrists, slightly embarrassed but that feeling of anticipation is welling up again. “I just want to be friends.”

The boy is searching his gaze, looking for any signs of a lie and when he sees no sign of any taunt, his eyes slightly widen with a hope he doesn’t want to allow himself to have. It breaks Dimitri’s heart. He wonders what exactly has this boy been through.

“You...” the boy starts. “Want to be my friend?”

Dimitri nods. He expects the boy to smile, he expects an ‘alright,’ he even expects the boy to walk out on him. He doesn’t expect the boy to bend his knees and hug himself tightly.

Dimitri is at a loss at what to do. He isn’t sure if he should bend down and comfort the boy, give him a hug, or just let him do whatever it is he is doing. Dimitri remains still until he hears it: the muffled sound of sniffles. 

The boy is crying.

Dimitri falls to his knees and places both hands on the boy’s shoulder and to his surprise, the boy falls into his arms. Dimitri holds him, rubs soothing circles on his back like his mother does to him when he cries. He hopes it helps his new friend.

The boy says something that Dimitri can’t quite hear.

“What was that?”

The boy slowly parts the embrace, rubbing his eyes with his knuckle. “My name is Claude.”

“Oh!” Dimitri smiles. “My name is Dimitri and now that we’re friends, I promise I’ll protect you from anyone who tries to hurt you.”

Claude smiles and it’s bright and full of joy. It’s the first smile that isn’t sad, and Dimitri thinks a smile suits him well.

➵

Years later when Dimitri is sent to the Garreg Mach Monastery, he doesn’t expect to make any new friends— at least not right away. He drops his things off at his new room and prepares himself to meet his new peers.

There are a lot of them, some of them in blue like him, others in red or gold. He parts the crowd, apologizing when he accidentally bumps into someone, and tries to make his way over to the benches where he can relax and mentally plan his introduction. He closes his eyes against the glaring sun.

“Nervous?”

Dimitri nods, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“I have to introduce myself to the house I will be leading,” Dimitri explains to the stranger who has no seated themselves beside him.

“Well you seem charming, you have looks and charisma. You’ll be fine!” the stranger assures. “I have to introduce myself to my own house as well. That’ll be fun. I won’t have much to tell them honestly.”

Dimitri perks up at hearing this and opens his eyes to properly greet the stranger only to freeze completely. He would know those green eyes anywhere,

“Claude,” Dimitri breathes in disbelief.

Claude winks and gives Dimitri a radiant smile.

“Long time no see, Dimitri.”

Claude lets out a squeak when Dimitri throws himself forward, wrapping his arms around Claude. The momentum pushes them both off the bench and onto the grass. There a few stares, some whispers about the mixed blood duke fraternizing with the heir to the throne, and Claude struggles to get out of Dimitri’s arms.

“Dimitri,” Claude whispers. “People are talking.”

Dimitri only tightens his embrace.

“You’re not an outsider remember?” Dimitri says and Claude goes still in his hold. “I made a promise to protect you from anyone who tries to hurt you. I intend to keep that promise.”

Claude freezes and then a smile finds its way to his lips. He brings Dimitri closer and tunes out the whispers, focusing on Dimitri instead.

**Author's Note:**

> AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA dimiclaude am I right?
> 
> Anyways after this Dimitri glares at anyone who dares talk crap about Claude in front of him. Claude likes the way Dimitri is so willing to stand up for him even thought he won't admit it out loud.


End file.
